Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo updates the media on Jay Bouwmeester, who suffered a cardiac episode on the bench Tuesday night. (1:23)

Jay Bouwmeester undergoes procedure to restore heart's normal rhythm

14 Feb 2020, 16:52

St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has undergone an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedure and his status will be updated next week, the team said in a statement Friday.

The procedure restores the heart's normal rhythm and was done after Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode while on the bench during Tuesday night's game in Anaheim, California.

Bouwmeester's procedure was done in Anaheim, and he will return to St. Louis once his release from the hospital is approved.

In his 17th NHL season, Bouwmeester ranks second among active defensemen with 1,241 career games played -- trailing only Zdeno Chara (1,541) -- and is fourth among all active players, behind Patrick Marleau (1,709) and Joe Thornton (1,622), as well as Chara.

Bouwmeester, a first-round pick of the Florida Panthers, held one of the longest ironman streaks in NHL history with 737 consecutive regular-season games played until a lower-body injury in 2014. He missed time in 2015-16 with a concussion, and a hip injury ended his 2017-18 season. He played all but four games last season, though, and hasn't missed a game this season.

In April 2019, the Blues signed Bouwmeester to a one-year, $3.25 million deal for this season.

Information from ESPN's Emily Kaplan was used in this report.